This display is part of an ongoing biographical research
project dedicated to the study of the role of First Lady throughout Maryland
history and to the documentation of the lives of the women who served in
this capacity. First and foremost, the First Lady was a hostess who
extended Maryland hospitality to both local and international visitors.
Through the years, she displayed her talents as a community leader, as
well as an ambassador of Maryland heritage and culture. The women
selected for this exhibit represent only four out of the forty-six First
Ladies and five Official Hostesses that have served since 1776. The
Maryland State Archives continues to research the lives of Maryland First
Ladies with the hope of building a repository of biographical data and
material artifacts which will lead to a more complete understanding of
the roles these women played in the state’s history.

Click images for larger view

Mrs.
Emma Nicodemus Warfield,

wife of Governor Edwin Warfield

Tiffany and Co., New York

Lady's Fan, ca. 1905

Collection of Emma Warfield

Maryland State Archives [MSA SC 3913]

(Velanosky Collection)

Emma Nicodemus Warfield, wife of Governor Edwin Warfield, was
First Lady of Maryland from 1904 until 1908. The Warfields were active
and visible members of the Annapolis community. Mrs. Warfield hosted
many visitors, including prominent Annapolitans, members of the legislature,
and nationally known figures. Although described as shy and more
eager to entertain a close circle of friends than a large gathering, Emma
Warfield took up the role of hostess with grace and charm. She was
lauded in contemporary newspaper accounts as "handsome, bright and animated
. . . well fitted for the high position she is to fill."

Invitation to Government House, May 9,
1907

Photograph

Maryland State Archives [MSA SC 4494-1-32]

(First Ladies Photograph Collection)

Courtesy, Mark Twain Project, The Bancroft Library

In March 1907, Emma Nicodemus Warfield began to correspond
with Mr. Samuel Clemens, better known as one of America’s greatest authors,
Mark Twain. Mrs. Warfield asked Mr. Clemens to pay a visit to the
“quaint, old historical town,” of Annapolis, and she extended an invitation
to him to stay at the executive mansion, tour the Naval Academy, and sail
on the Governor’s yacht. Mr. Clemens accepted this offer and came
to Annapolis in May 1907.

Mrs. Warfield & Mark Twain (Mr. Samuel
Clemens)

The Baltimore News, May 11, 1907

Color Digital Reproduction

Maryland State Archives [MSA SC 2890]

During his visit to Annapolis, Mark Twain performed a benefit
for the First Presbyterian Church at the request of Emma Warfield.
The entertainment was held in the House of Delegates chamber on the evening
of May 10, 1907, his first public appearance in eleven years, and one which,
he promised would be his last. Although Twain was originally invited
to speak in the drawing room of Government House, the presentation was
moved to the State House due to the enormous audience. Mrs. Warfield's
arrangements, coupled with Mr. Twain's immense popularity, secured six
hundred dollars for the church treasury.

Mrs. Mary Ridgely Preston Brown,

wife of Governor Frank Brown

Mary Ridgely Preston Brown, ca. 1875

Photograph

Maryland State Archives [MSA SC 2034-4]

(Governor Frank Brown Family Bible and Photo Collection)

Mary Ridgely Preston Brown was born on February 23, 1857 to
David and Mary R. Ridgely of Baltimore. She was educated at private
schools in Baltimore, and finished her education abroad in Wiesbaden.
On June 12, 1877, she married Horatio Wyman Preston, but their marriage
was short lived, as Mr. Preston died on October 13, 1878. On December
22, 1879, the young widow married Frank Brown of Carroll County.
The Browns had two children, Mary (nicknamed May) and Frank Jr.

Norval H. Busey

Mary Ridgely Preston Brown, 1880

Pastel on paper, 30 x 25 in.

Maryland Commission on Artistic Property

of the Maryland State Archives

[MSA SC 1545-1068]

Mary Ridgely Preston Brown became First Lady of Maryland when
Frank Brown was elected Governor in 1892. She presided over residences
in Carroll County, Baltimore City, and Annapolis with "with rare grace
and diplomacy.” The executive mansion during Frank Brown's administration
was a place "where parties and receptions went on without end.” The
Browns also enjoyed their proximity to the Naval Academy, and would decorate
their carriage for the Navy football games. Mrs. Clarence Marbury
White, a contemporary Annapolitan, remembers "one time when the Army-Navy
game was to be played at the Academy, Mrs. Brown with her guests visited
the dry goods store and bought every bolt of blue and gold ribbon.”
Tragically, Mrs. Brown’s health began to fail during her tenure as First
Lady, and she died on May 11, 1895.

Miss Mary "May" Ridgely Brown,

daughter of Governor and Mrs. Frank Brown

Mary “May” Ridgely Brown, ca. 1880

Photograph

Maryland State Archives [MSA SC 2034-1]

(Governor Frank Brown Family Bible and Photo Collection)

With Frank Brown still in office, their daughter Mary “May”
Ridgely Brown began to assume more of the duties as Official Hostess.
She was assisted by her grandmother, the governor’s mother, Susan A. Bennett
Brown. Although she was only 13 years old, contemporary accounts
reveal that May "adequately met all demands upon her, no matter how exacting,
winning universal praise as a most tactful, gracious, and magnetic chatelaine".

Mrs. Helen Avalynne Gibson Tawes,

wife of Governor J. Millard Tawes

Helen Tawes Cooking Terrapin, ca. 1960

Photograph

Maryland State Archives [MSA SC 4494-1-6]

(First Ladies Photograph Collection)

Courtesy, J. Millard Tawes Museum, Crisfield

Helen Avalynne Gibson Tawes, daughter of Minerva Amerinth and
Oliver P. Gibson, was born in Crisfield, Maryland (ca. 1899). At the age
of sixteen, she met J. Millard Tawes on a hayride, and the two were married
on December 25, 1915. Millard Tawes won the governorship in 1959.
He brought with him a First Lady with lots of ideas and unique interests.
Mrs. Tawes had been an enthusiastic participant in the Tawes campaign.
She laced campaign literature with copies of her favorite recipes for Eastern
Shore cuisine hoping that "the way to Maryland voters' hearts was through
their stomachs."

My Favorite Maryland Recipes, Helen Tawes

(Centerville: Tidewater Publishers, 1997)

Mrs. Tawes extended her culinary influence throughout the state
by writing a cookbook, entitled My Favorite Maryland Recipes, in which
she revealed her family secrets for preparing traditional Maryland dishes
such as blue crabs, terrapin, and oysters. In addition to the recipes,
she also shared her personal cooking philosophies which included using
simple seasonings in order to prevent overpowering the true taste of the
dish as well as the importance of always shucking your own oysters.

Helen Tawes Autographing Cookbook, ca.
1964

Photograph

Maryland State Archives [MSA SC 4494-1-5]

(First Ladies Photograph Collection)

Courtesy, J. Millard Tawes Museum

Mrs. Tawes' recipes became famous outside of the state after
being served in the Maryland Pavilion at the 1964 World's Fair in New York.
Among the dishes offered was her fast food version of a crab cake---called
a "crab burger." Her cooking talents apparently became world renowned,
and she personally took over the Government House kitchen in order to cook
a special crock of terrapin soup to send to Sir Winston Churchill who responded
with a grateful letter of appreciation. Mrs. Tawes' efforts to popularize
Maryland cuisine culminated in 1964 when the House of Delegates drafted
a resolution to commend her for highlighting Maryland as "the land of fine
food."

Exhibit Bibliography

Maryland State Archives

350 Rowe Boulevard, Annapolis, MD 21401

(410) 260-6400

MD toll free (800) 235-4045

fax: (410) 974-3895

email:archives@mdarchives.state.md.us

web site: www.mdarchives.state.md.us

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